Scruton has done invaluable work showing us the form conservative efforts have taken in defending culture’s role in establishing virtuous, free societies but has for the most part left the political persuasion's specific content open for discussion.

Neither side of the political spectrum any longer appears open to the possibility that their party or its representatives are capable of wrongdoing; partisanship has apparently relieved many of the burden to exercise prudence in instances where political expediency urges absolute devotion.

I get frantic sometimes, when the heat rises up from the sandy streets. Recollection suffocates, and I go in search of air. I stand where you stood, near the red door, or beside the table where we celebrated. I mimic your gaze and affect your repose, but the geometry falters and I give it up. … Continue reading Poem: Strategies→

A brief note on how to define conservatism in light of the last post's discussion of the importance epistemology plays in forming political ideologies. How can we express conservatism's uniqueness in terms of its epistemological distinctiveness?

What separates the conservative political agenda from the liberal? A host of issues, almost all of which can be traced back to a pivotal divergence occurring during the last century. More than any single policy disagreement, what best characterizes the rift between Right and Left is their incompatible theories of knowledge, the conflict between their beliefs about what constitutes genuine sources of understanding.

As I enter middle age, this question recurs more insistently than ever: what is worth doing? How ought I invest my time, precious as it is? What achievements, pursuits and aims are deserving of my ambition? The last twenty years have passed with breathtaking swiftness, and it’s natural to begin assessing one’s legacy – not … Continue reading What is worth doing?→

Our ethical commitments, aesthetic ambitions, and devotion to civil ideals lose their logical force and allure when subjected to the constraints of materialism, and if Secular Humanists wish to live authentically and with intellectual integrity they must recognize the limitations their uncompromising view imposes upon our activity.